UNITING THE BUILT & NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS

The San Diego Business Journal reports this morning that membership in the US Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) has increased tenfold over the last seven years. This explosive growth has been fueled by the burgeoning “green” movement across the country and around the world. Other interesting bits from the article:

LEED projects are in all 50 U.S. states and 24 countries.

Some 986 million square feet of commercial building space is registered or certified in the LEED program. Project types include new construction, existing buildings, commercial interiors, and core and shell — buildings where the owner doesn’t control the interior design. LEED certification for homes and neighborhood developments is now being studied.

The annual U.S. market in green building products and services was more than $7 billion in 2005, and is expected to increase to $12 billion in 2007.

On the other hand, the San Francisco Chronicle‘s Sunday Opinion page throws some cold water on “going green.” Columnist Jane Powell’s piece “Green Envy” reminds readers that true conservation is more than using the latest technology. She rails against some of the green movement’s darlings, like CFL lightbulbs and triple-glazed windows. Shocking! The long piece is worth the read.